


I’ll write the words I never said

by NeverlandHeart



Category: The Magicians (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-08
Updated: 2018-10-08
Packaged: 2019-07-28 01:02:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16230956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeverlandHeart/pseuds/NeverlandHeart
Summary: Quentin Coldwater is getting married. But there’s something he has to do first, and there’s a letter he needs to deliver.





	I’ll write the words I never said

**Author's Note:**

> I’m extremely proud of this one.

Quentin takes in a deep breath as he looks away from his reflection, straightening his tie. “Okay,” He breathes in. “Okay.” And out. 

There’s a knock on the door and he chuckles when he hears the pattern of it try to sound like a Taylor Swift song. “Door’s unlocked, Jules!”

She walks in and he’s immediately blown away. She’s gorgeous, as always, he doesn’t know why he’s surprised. The strapless ankle length midnight blue dress looks gorgeous on her, and her long hair is tied in an elegant side bun, strands escaping here and there. “Holy shit, J, look at you.” 

She grins and shakes her head, causing the few loose curls to bounce around her face. “Me? Q, you look beautiful.” She squeezes his hands. “And I’m not just saying that because I’m your best woman.” She gives him a wink and he rolls his eyes at the fact that she’s still refusing to call herself his maid of honor. 

“Less than two hours,” She straightens his tie for him, even though he had just done it. “You ready?” 

He’s so ready. He’s so, so ready. But. 

“There’s something I need to do first, I need to go for a little bit.” 

Her eyes immediately fill with worry. “Quentin, you’re getting married in less than two hours and you need to _go_? Is everything okay?” 

He cups her cheek. “Everything is perfect, I swear. There’s just something I need to do.” 

She scrunches her eyebrows together. “Does Eliot-“

He cuts her off by kissing her forehead. “Yes, Eliot knows.” How could he not? It was his idea. “And he’ll know where I am, so if he asks just tell him what I said, alright?” He squeezes her hand and then lets it go. “I’ll be back soon, I promise. After all, Margo would absolutely murder me if she did all this planning for nothing.” 

Julia snorts at that, but he can tell she’s still worried. “I promise, J, I’ll be back soon, next time you see me I’ll be walking towards the altar, okay?” She nods and straightens his tie one more time. “Love you,” 

She smiles, genuine this time. “I love you too.” 

And with that, he’s walking out the door, an envelope tucked safe inside his jacket.

* * *

It takes him a while to find it, always does. Even though he knows where it is. The bright pink flowers stand out against the grey of the sky, and he exhales shakily as he reaches out and touches the headstone. 

_Arielle Coldwater. Beloved wife and mother._

She’s not actually buried here. Margo had tried, but, he thinks, this is enough. This is perfect. “Hi, Ari.” His hands shake slightly as he takes the envelope and places it softly against the headstone. “This is from Eliot. He said I could read it, but I think it’s something that should be between the two of you, besides, I can imagine what he’s said is similar to what I’m going to say.” He sits down, legs crossed. “I hope you would bless this,” He laughs slightly, shakes his head. “Of course you would. I know if you were here you’d be crying with happiness. I miss you. I’m going to miss you for the rest of my life.” He blinks away tears. “And I hope you know, just because I’m starting this new chapter in my life doesn’t mean ours wasn’t just as important to me. The four of us were a family, and nothing will change that, nothing in the damn world. I hope wherever you are, you’re with Rupert. I hope there’s nothing but warmth and pink roses and happiness.” He leans down and kisses the top of the headstone. “I love you, Ari, so much.” 

When he stands and walks away, he likes to think the wind tickling the back of his neck is her telling him she loves him too. 

* * *

Quentin knows that Julia knows he wouldn’t break the promise he made, but he still sees her sigh in relief when he makes his way down the altar and towards Eliot right on time. 

Eliot is radiant, as always, but there’s a little something extra this time. His tuxedo is white, a contrast to Quentin’s black one. He can tell Margo did his hair because he’s got the Superman swoop going on, which is her signature whenever she does his hair. His eyes are shining with tears of bliss and Quentin knows his probably are too. “Hey.” 

Eliot chuckles, his throat bobbing. “Hey.”

_Dear Arielle,_

_I won’t lie, not to you. When I first met you, I saw you as almost an obstacle, another person standing between me and Quentin, besides literally Quentin himself on occasion._

“How did it go?” Eliot questions as everyone begins to file in and take their seats, minus Julia and Fen, who stand on either side of the men, and Margo, who’s performing the ceremony. 

Quentin gives him a small, meaningful smile. “Good. It went good.” 

_If I could, I’d go back and tell myself about how wrong I was. See, you were never an obstacle, Arielle, you were a bridge. Not a bridge I had to build and get over, but a bridge that I needed to cross to get where I needed to be. You didn’t lead me to Quentin, or myself, or to love, though I did love you, you led me to a small corner of the world where I learned to conquer my greatest fear. Being a father._

Quentin looks around and smiles at Josh, who gives him a thumbs up and he rolls his eyes. “Nervous?”

His eyes turn back to Eliot. “No, not about this.” 

_When Quentin married you, I resented you, for a while. But then I got to know you, and gods, Arielle, who couldn’t love you? Not once did you treat me with anything but kindness, and maybe you didn’t understand what I have with Quentin, though knowing you, you probably did, you excepted it anyway. You were never angry, or jealous, or upset, and I remember the exact second that I, in the only way I could, fell in love with you too. It was the day that Quentin couldn’t get out of bed, the first episode you had witnessed. Do you remember? Of course you do. You did everything you could, even though you were confused, you tried so incredibly hard to make him feel better. You laid with him for hours that afternoon, and I remember that when it started raining, you came out of the bedroom, grabbed my hand, and brought me back with you. You made me lay down on his left side, the side he was facing, and you laid on his right, curled behind his back. I was so confused, I didn’t get it. Why were you inviting me to cuddle up with your husband? But then you reached over, pulled my hand over Quentin’s side, and then you intertwined our fingers, and you smiled at me, and you were so quiet I barely heard you, but you looked at me, and you said, ‘He needs you too. He needs his soulmate.’ Eight words. It took only eight words for me to fall in love with you. And we held hands while we held him._

_And then, six months later, Rupert came._

Margo clears her throat and whatever conversations were happening immediately halt. “You know me, so you know this isn’t going to be some bullshit speech about loving each other in sickness and in health and whatever the hell else is usually said.” 

There’s a small bit of laughter from their group of friends and Eliot grins at her. “Of course not, Bambi.” 

She winks at him and continues. “We’re here today because Eliot finally got his head out of his ass and asked Quentin to marry him, and, gods help him, he said yes.” More laughter. “I’m not going to give you that whole speech because I think every damn person in this room, including the two of them, knows that their love transcends ‘in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer.’ Whatever. The two of them have literally crossed worlds, fucking universes to get to each other. I think that says everything. Though, I am required as High King to ask if anyone has any objections. Friendly reminder that if you do, I’ll use my acrylics to cut off your lips.” 

The threat, of course, isn’t needed. She nods once. “Good,” She turns to Penny and raises an eyebrow. “The rings?” 

_When Rupert came, I was fucking terrified. Terrified you wouldn’t make it, you were screaming like you wouldn’t, scared maybe he wouldn’t. But you both did. And then I met him, and I wasn’t terrified anymore. I was petrified. He was so small, the tiniest thing I’ve ever seen, and when you asked me to hold him I almost didn’t. I know if she had been there, Margo would’ve called me a pussy, probably. Speaking of, I wish you had gotten to meet her. She would’ve loved you. When you put him in my arms, the world froze, and my heart grew even further and I fell in love with him the second I saw him._

_And you don’t know this, because I made sure you didn’t, but when he was learning to talk and you pointed to Quentin, and said ‘Dada,’ and then pointed to me and said ‘Papa,” I cried. I left our home after lying that I was picking vegetables from the garden you had made, and I wept over the carrots and fucking tomatoes for at least ten minutes before I came back._

_I was always so afraid of being a father, because of the one I had. But you turned it into something that made me feel safe._

Penny sighs in annoyance, though by now Quentin knows it’s just an act, and stands up from his place next to Kady to hand one to Eliot and the other to Quentin. The rings are simple but beautiful. Both golden and covered with a vine pattern, and engraved with one word on each. Eliot’s has the word plum, and Quentin’s has the word peach. 

Eliot is crying when he slips the ring onto Quentin’s finger, and he himself is very close to tears as well. “With this ring, I thee wed.”

Quentin copies him, ever so gently. “With this ring, I thee wed.” 

_The day you died was one of the worst days of my life. I think the fact that it was unexpected made it so much more terrible. You were sick for so long, but then you got better. So much better._

_And then, not even a day later, you were gone. You took a piece of me and Quentin with you. And then Q and I grew old together, and I died. But then Margo swooped in and saved the day, and none of it ever happened._

_But it did. I don’t know how we remembered, don’t know why, but I’ll always be grateful that we did._

_Like I said, Arielle, you were never an obstacle. You were always a bridge, a bridge Quentin and I walked together, but you were so much more than that._

_You were, and always will be, family._

“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husbands.” Eliot gently tugs him upwards as he leans up and when their lips touch, everyone, even Penny, claps and wipes at their eyes. 

_I’ll take good care of him, I promise._

_Love, Plum_

_PS: Thank you for showing me so much of the world by being a part of mine, a part of that tiny world in our little home. Our piece of the universe was small, but it was beautiful._


End file.
